Vehicle-step.



.No. 867,385. A PATENTED OCT 1, 1907. W. A. LANNOM. VEHICLE STEP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY6.190'7.

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PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

VEHIGLE'STBP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY6,19 O7. 7

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WILSON A. LANNOM, OF'DETROIT, TEXAS.

VEHICLE-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907.

Application filed J 11ly 6, 1907- Serial No. 382,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILSON A. LANNoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Red River, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Steps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to vehicle steps.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a step for vehicles of such construction that while the step will not give when a person steps upon it, it will yield upon striking any obstructions such as a post, stump, or thick brush. It is'a well known fact that steps of this character are often broken or seriously bent by accidents such as mentioned and while the step contemplated by me will obviate such accidents, it is by no means complicated in structure.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the step applied to a vehicle Fig. 2 is a front elevation, that portion of the body of the vehicle to which the step is attached being shown in section, Fig. 3 is a similar view but taken from the rear, Fig. '4 is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the manner of mounting the step, and, Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the device for preventing the step swinging forwardly.

In the drawings the numeral 6 denotes the board of the vehicle body to which the step is applied and 7 the foot piece of the step which is supported at the lower end of a shank or hanger 8. This hanger has its upper end portion turned at right angles as indicated at 9 and engaged through suitable bearings 10 secured upon the under side of the said board 6. Formed integral with this portion 9 of the hanger and extending forwardly therefrom beneath the board 6 is a tongue 11 and engaged around the said portion 9 to one side of the tongue and between the same and the inner one of the bearings 10 is a helical spring 12 which has one of its ends extended forwardly and bent to underlie the tongue l1-and its opposite end extended rearwardly and resting against the under side of the board .6.

From the foregoing description of my invention it will be observed that the step will be prevented from swinging upwardly and forwardly by reason of the tongue 11 bearing against the underside. of the board 6 and by reason of the fact that one end of the spring bears against the under side of this tongue. the tongue will be normally held in such contact with the board and the step hanger will be normally supported in vertical position. It will be understood however that the step may have a swinging movement rearwardly and upwardly against the tension of the spring and that upon striking a stump, post or the like the step will be so swung but after such engagement will be returned to its normal position by the action of the spring.

What is claimed is In a device of the class described, the combination, with the bed of a vehicle body, of bearings supported beneath the bed, a step hang-er having a portion journaled in the bearings whereby the hanger may have a rocking movement, a tongue formed integral with this portion of the hanger and extending forwardly from the same and in po sition to rest against the under side of the bed when the step hanger is in normal position, and a spring coiled around the said portion of the hanger and having one of its ends extended forwardly and turned to underlie the tongue and its opposite end extended rearwardly and bearing against the under side of the bed substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.'

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature, in presence of two 'Witnesses.

WILSON A. LANNOM. Witnesses:

.TNo. R. WRIGHT, T. A. HULEN. 

